Edward j



E. J. RIMPLE AND 1. w. MORGAN.

P 0WER LIFT FOR PLOWS.

APPHCATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1920.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921;

IN VEN TORS organ E. zlkinyvle BYQ UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

EDWARD J. RIMPLE AND JOHN W. MORGAN, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

POWER-LIFT non rLows.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 29, 1920. Serial No. 413,478.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD J. RIMPLE and JOHN W. MORGAN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at San Jose, county of Santa Clara, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Lifts for Flows; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in plow construction, the principal object being to provide a means whereby the frame of any wheel supported plow, whether of the mold-board or disk type, may be raised relative to the ground without any physical effort on the part of the operator other than the manipulation of a light clutch-lever, the power for thus lifting the frame being derived from the forward movement of the plow.

By thus altering the level of the frame, the plowing members are of course moved likewise, and the depth to which the plows may sink into the ground may be easily regulated, or raised clear of the ground when desired.

A second object of the invention is to provide an adjustable attachment mounted on the clutch-throw rod and cooperating with other parts in such a way that the depth or height at which it is desired to position the frame and plows relative to the wheels may be set before commencing on operations, and the clutch will be automatically thrown out when such point is reached, without attention on the part of the operator. I

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a plow wheel and a portion of the plow frame, showing our improved lifting mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a clutch mechanism.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the plow frame having at a predetermined point a bearing bracket 2 in which is vertically slidable a spindle 3 which has a horizontal extension 4- on its lower end on which is turnably mounted a wheel 5. Fixed on the hub of this wheel is a bevel gear 6 meshing with a pinion 7 the shaft 8 of which is journaled in a housing 9 surrounding the spindle extension 4 and inclosing both gears, said shaft having a sl1p-joint or telescoping portion 8 therein.

The shaft 8 extends upwardly at an angle to a point adjacent the frame 1, where it is connected with a stub shaft 10 parallel to the frame and journaled in a housing 11 fixed thereto, the connection between said shafts being had by means of a universal joint 12, there being a similar joint 13 interposed in the shaft 8 near the lower end.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 10 inside the housing 11 and independent of each other are bevel pinions 14; meshing in common with a gear 15 on the shaft 16 of which a worm 17 is out, which engages a quadrant 18 mounted on a transverse shaft 19 jour-' a bell crank 23 pivoted to an extension 24 of the bracket 2.

The lower arm 23 of the bell crank is conneoted to an ear 25 on the housing .9 by means of a link 26.

To cause the quadrant to move in either direction at will with a rotation of the wheel 5 in a single direction, a double clutch member 27 is splined on the shaft 10 between the gears 14, the latterbeing provided with corresponding clutch-jaw faces 28. The member 27 is shifted to contact with either of the gear-faces,- or to be held neutral-there between, by means of a clutch-throw rod 29 slidable in the housing 11 and counterbalanced by means of opposed springs 30. This rod is connected to a lever 31 to which an operating rod 32 is flexibly connected, this Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

rod passing directly over the arm 20, the latter having guiding ears 33 on each side to keep the rod 32 in alinement.

Lugs 34- are adjustably mounted on the rod 32 and projected into the plane of the arm 20.

In operation, the rotation of the wheel 5 constantly imparts a rotative movement to the shafts 8 and 10. If the clutch member 27 is positionedin neutral, no movement is imparted to the quadrant 18, and the frame 1 is maintained in a constant horizontal position. When the lever 31 however is moved by the operator to cause either gear 14 to rotate with the shaft 10, the gear 15 and worm 17 likewise rotate, causing a movement of the quadrant 18, causing a movement of the bell crank 23, which of course alters the vertical position of the wheel 5 relative to the frame 1. i

The parts are so arranged however, that when the arm 31 is moved in one direction to engage one of the gears 1 the movement of the arm 20 takes place in the opposite direction, so that as said arm advances with the rotation of the quadrant, it will engage one of the lugs 3% on the rod 32, and will. automatically throw the same to neutral position, when the movement of the quadrant and its connected parts will of course instantly cease.

Since the positions of the lugs 34: may be adjusted before commencing plowing operations to regulate the amount which the quadrant may move before striking either lug and stopping the lifting or lowering of the plow frame, it will be seen that the movement of the frame in either direction is had practically automatically without any attention on the part of the operator being necessary other than the necessary initial throwing of the lever 31 to start the change of level of the frame. As the plowing devices, either disk or mold-board are of course fixed rigidly to the frame the depth to which they will plow is of course likewise regulated or they may be raised entirely clear of the ground for transporting the outfit from place to place.

-We have here shown and described the device as being attached to only one wheel, but of course it will be evident that while the power is obtained from only one wheel, the shaft 19 has an arm 20 for each wheel, with similar bell cranks and connecting links, so that the frame is moved verticall as a unit at each wheel-supported point.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the'objects of the invention as set forth herein.

VJhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such'deviations from such'detail may be resorted to as we claim as new and usefuland. desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 A power lift for Wheeled plows comrisin a frame a shaft mounted thereon an arm fixed on said shaft, abell crank pivotally mounted of the frame adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm; a vertical spindle supporting said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, and means actuated by the rotation of said wheel for causing the shaft to be moved in either direction to impart a vertical translational movement in a vertical plane to the spindle.

2. A power lift for wheeled plows comprising a frame, a shaftmounted thereon, an arm fixed on said shaft, a bell crank pivotally mounted of theframe adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm, a vertical spindle supporting said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, means actuated by the rotation of said wheel for rotating the shaft in either direction, and means for automatically stopping the movement of said shaft after the same has rotated through any predetermined arc.

3. A power lift for wheeled plows including with the plow frame a shaft mounted thereon, a vertical spindle supporting a wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to'the frame, means whereby the spindle is moved vertically with the rotation of the shaft, a shaft driven continually by said wheel, a double-clutch interposed between the frame-mounted shaft and the driven shaft, and means for automatically disengaging the clutch after any desired and predetermined amount of movement of the frame-mounted shaft;

4L A power 'lift for wheeled plows comprising a frame, a shaft mounted thereon, an arm fixed on said shaft, a bell crank pivotally mounted of the frame adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm, a vertical spindlesupporting said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, a'shaft driven by said wheel, means for transmitting the power of the driven shaft to the first named shaft in either direction at will, and means actuated by the movement of said first named shaft for automatically breaking connection with the driven shaft after any predetermined amount of movement of said first-named shaft. I

5. A power lift for wheeled plows including with the plow frame .a shaft mounted thereon, a vertical spindle supporting a .wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, means for rotating the frame-shaft in either direction with the rotation of said wheel, and means operatively connecting the shaft and spindle to give the latter a vertical translational movement in a vertical plane with a r0- tative movement of the frame-mounted shaft.

6. A power lift for wheeled plows comprising a frame, a shaft mounted thereon, an arm fixed on said shaft, a bell crank pivotally mounted of the frame adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm, a vertical spindle supporting the said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, ashaft driven by said wheel, a pair of independent bevel pinions loosely mounted on the driven shaft, a common bevel gear meshing with the pinions, a worm formed with the gear, a quadrant on the first named shaft meshing with the worm, and a common double-clutch for engaging either at a time of said pinions with the driven shaft.

7. A power lift for wheeled plows comprising a frame, a shaft mounted thereon, an arm fixed on said shaft, a bell crank pivotally mounted of the frame adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm, a vertical spindle supporting the said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, a shaft driven by said wheel, a pair of independent bevel pinions loosely mounted on the driven shaft, a common bevel gear meshing with the pinions, a worm formed with the gear, a quadrant on the first named shaft meshing with the worm, a doubleclutch member on the driven shaft between the pinions for connecting either at a time of said pinions with the driven shaft, a hand actuated lever for moving said clutch, and means cooperating with said lever whereby the clutch member is automatically moved to neutral when the arms on the first named shaft have moved a predetermined distance.

8. A power lift for wheeled plows comprising a frame, a shaft mounted thereon, an arm fixed on said shaft, a bell crank pivotally mounted of the frame adjacent a wheel and connected to said arm, a vertical spindle supporting said wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, the bell crank being connected to the spindle, a shaft driven by said wheels, a pair of independent bevel pinions loosely mounted on the driven shaft, a common bevel gear meshing with the pinions, a worm formed with the gear, a quadrant on the first named shaft meshing with the worm, a double-clutch member on the driven shaft between the pinions for connecting either at a time of said pinions with the driven shaft, a lever for moving said clutch member, a horizontal hand-rod connected to the lever, and adjustable lugs on the rod projecting into the path of movement of the arm on the first named shaft.

= 9. A power lift for wheeled plows including with the plow frame a shaft mounted thereon, a vertical spindle supporting a wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, means whereby the spindle is moved vertically with the rotation of the shaft, a shaft driven continually by said wheel, a double-clutch interposed between the frameemounted shaft and the driven shaft, hand actuated means for operating the clutches, and means actuated by the rotation of the frame-mounted shaft for engaging the clutch operating means to cause the latter to disconnect the clutch after any desired and predetermined movement of said shaft.

10. A power lift for wheeled plows including with the plow frame a shaft mounted thereon, a vertical spindle supporting a wheel and arranged for vertical movement relative to the frame, means whereby the spindle is moved vertically with the rotation of the shaft, a shaft driven continually by said wheel, a double-clutch interposed be tween the frame-mounted shaft and the driven shaft, a horizontal hand actuated rod adapted for longitudinal movement and connected to the clutch member to actuate the same, adjustable lugs on said rod, and an arm fixed on the frame-mounted shaft and positioned in the path of the lugs to engage the same.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. 

